Eastern Europe

Recipes: Spaetzle, Sausages


Spaetzle--

Ingredients:
6 eggs, beaten frothy
3 cups sifted flour
1 cup milk
3 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp nutmeg (optional)
salt to taste (about 1 teaspoon)

Method:
1. Mix wet ingredients first. Then, with a power mixer, slowly add flour until it's all combined.
2. Boil a pot of water. Have a lid, large slotted spoon, colander, and pot holder nearby.
3. I don't have a spaetzle hex, so I did it the 'fun' way. You could also just use a spoon and plop globs in the water, though this makes them more like dumplings than a pasta.
4. Ladle two spoonfuls of batter into a colander. Use the back of the ladle to push the batter through the holes in the boiling water. Once there is a layer in the pot, cover and allow the spaetzle to puff up. It takes about two minutes. They will expand and get puffy.
5. Use the slotted spoon to move them into another colander, or a paper-towel. Repeat until you have no more batter.


Bacon Sauce--

Ingredients:
One package Smart Bacon, chopped well
4 tbsp butter
1-2 cloves garlic
1/2 c freshly grated parmesan cheese

Method:
1. Throw it all in a pan and cook for about 5 minutes, until the bacon gets limp.
2. Drizzle over spaetzle, then sprinkle with the cheese.



Polish Sausages with Cabbage--

Ingredients:
2 lbs polish sausages
1 large onion
1 head cabbage, cored and quartered
1/2 cup white wine or vegetable broth
2 tbsp butter
Italian herbs
salt to taste

Method:
1. In a frying pan, brown your onions in the butter along with your sausages. (We used 6 Johnsonville Bratwursts and a box of Morning Star Breakfast links. I think that Boca or MS makes veg. brats, but I couldn't find them at our stores this week. If you are going to make this recipe, I recommend waiting until you can find the veg. bratwursts, you'll have a better flavor in the end) Also--if using precooked or vegetarian, do your onions first, then throw in the sausages for long enough to get browned.
2. Once cooked, add the cabbage, broth/wine, and herbs. We only had oregano for whatever reason, but it worked well.
3. Cover and reduce to low heat. Cook for 15 minutes. I like my cabbage softer, so I added about 7 minutes.


I love spaetzle. I grew up with it and just recently discovered it in the stringy-pasta form. We always made larger dumplings at home, which are still good, just different. At home, we usually serve with butter and parmesan cheese. I decided to try the bacon sauce and it was a nice change.

The sausages were okay. When I was in Dusseldorf a few years ago, the family we were staying with made an amazing sausage and cabbage dish that I just can't seem to duplicate. I would have made this with vinegar instead of wine, because I prefer that flavor with my cabbage. But I can see how, if we had used polish sausages instead of brats, it would be nice with the wine. Also--do they make vegetarian polish sausages?!

Verdict--I need a spaetzle hex because this method was brutal on my arms and the kitchen.